5am Workouts Make You Want To Tackle Bears

No pain, no gains, that’s what they tell us at least, but it’s pretty much true. Working out is the essence of pushing through pain in order to see a gain, and if we take it to the ‘nth degree, we’ll feel even more beastly.

This ‘nth degree might be waking up at the crack of dawn to work out. Yes, I’m talking about somewhere in the 5 am hour. It’s not easy, but if you can manage to force yourself up and out of bed for a workout, you may have a psychological advantage throughout the day.

Not only does this allow you to get your workout over with and start your work day sooner, but it helps you go into it feeling more confident and ready to tackle challenges like never before.

Unfortunately, as we alluded to before, there’s that little issue called waking up. Physically getting out of bed is one of the most difficult feats for any human, even us early risers, but it’s not impossible. No really, it’s not.

Here are a few items that can encourage you to get your buns up and adam and out the door:

Protein Shake – everyone likes a protein shake after a workout, but drinking one before can prove beneficial if you’re trying to build muscle. If it has a nice flavor, this can give you an extra bit of motivation to get up and drink it.

Shot of coffee – you shouldn’t guzzle copious amounts of coffee prior to a workout, but I find that a little shot of espresso or even just a couple sips of regular coffee can give me that immediate energy that I’m seeking.

Loud Music – if you can do this one without waking the whole house, you’re on the right track. Actually, you should probably just play it safe and wear headphones the entire time. No need to get your spouse angry at you, unless you’re into that sort of thing.

If you can make these early morning workouts into a routine, you’re well ahead of most people. The majority of people can’t wake up before 6:30 or even 7 in many cases (I’m kind of jealous of them actually).

The truth is, waking up early isn’t 100% essential to having a successful day, it just seems to go hand in hand with productivity. Coincidence?

I think a major aspect to early workouts IS that mental paradigm shift; one that pivots you towards productivity and success.